Tale of two brothers

Collected by Merlin Mitchell
Transcribed by Kyle Perrin
The Tale of Two Brothers
Reel 6
Item 4
Milton and Fred High
High, Ark.
February 20, 1950
Fred •••• There was a man moved in our country by the name of Tub. He had two
boys and one day he told them to cut some sprouts.
Milt •••• Seven and twelve year old.
Fred •••• And they went off to store and when they come back the boys was
missing. And they hunted all that day--
Milt •••• Well, they waited 'til night and come to my place--that night.
Fred •••• Yeah, Saturday night. And they hunted all night that night for 'em,
Couldn't find 'em.
Milt •••• Thought they'se at a neighbor's house, you know--to start with.
Fred •••• The dog was gone, and the gun, and two boys. Well, we looked all
over the place and the next day they got the word out--that was last
March--
Milt •••• I hunted all night that night.
Fred •••• Fifth day of March. And they hunted for 'em--
Milt •••• Last March--this last March.
Mitch ••• 1949.
Milt •••• '49, yeah.
Fred •••• And they couldn't find them nowhere. And they hunted--they had
airplanes to came look for 'em.
Milt •••• That was on Sunday the airplanes was there. Two planes flew all over
the place. We hunted all day with seventy-five or a hunderd men on
Sunday. Well, then, on Monday morning we started out to hunting and
someone--well, fella by the name of Got(?) found them right close
to the house--
Fred •••• Judge(?) Got.
Milt •••• --in a hunderd and fifty yards of the house in under some cedars.
Mitch ••• What killed them?
The Tale of Two Brothers (Cont.)
Reel 6
Item 4
Cont'd.
Milt •••• Well, one of them was dead--the least boy was dead--shot from behind
the ear and it come out his forehead.
Fred •••• Mmmmm, went the other way.
Milt •••• No, he was shot behind the ear and it come out right there. Cause
there was powder burns all over that side of the head, father. The
other boy was laying with his--on his back with two shells in his
mouth. He was shot right 'tween the eyes and the gun was pointed
right at his head where you could see he'd done it hisself. Well,
the dog was lying right close to this dead boy--shot twice right
down on top of the back. No whether that dog had went mad and
they'd tried to kill it and accidentally killed his brother or not,
we'll never know 'cause the boy now is--he's paralysed and can't
hardly talk. He knows he had a brother all right, but--
Fred •••• He's back at home now, though.
Milt •••• He's at home now with the chicken pox.
Fred •••• They took the bullet out of the back of his head.
Milt •••• Yeah, they took the bullet out of the back of his head. And I didn't
no one thought he'd live. They laid him down--they'se excited--they
laid him down and I picked him up and we put him in a truck and went
straight to the hospital with him and no one thought he'd live. But,
this leg is paralysed now. The arm is straightened out and the leg
moved then but it's never moved since. He's never been able to
move it. But, I don't know--he 'll never know what happened. We
just think he was just trying to kill the dog and accidentally killed
his little brother with a little .22.

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Collected by Merlin Mitchell
Transcribed by Kyle Perrin
The Tale of Two Brothers
Reel 6
Item 4
Milton and Fred High
High, Ark.
February 20, 1950
Fred •••• There was a man moved in our country by the name of Tub. He had two
boys and one day he told them to cut some sprouts.
Milt •••• Seven and twelve year old.
Fred •••• And they went off to store and when they come back the boys was
missing. And they hunted all that day--
Milt •••• Well, they waited 'til night and come to my place--that night.
Fred •••• Yeah, Saturday night. And they hunted all night that night for 'em,
Couldn't find 'em.
Milt •••• Thought they'se at a neighbor's house, you know--to start with.
Fred •••• The dog was gone, and the gun, and two boys. Well, we looked all
over the place and the next day they got the word out--that was last
March--
Milt •••• I hunted all night that night.
Fred •••• Fifth day of March. And they hunted for 'em--
Milt •••• Last March--this last March.
Mitch ••• 1949.
Milt •••• '49, yeah.
Fred •••• And they couldn't find them nowhere. And they hunted--they had
airplanes to came look for 'em.
Milt •••• That was on Sunday the airplanes was there. Two planes flew all over
the place. We hunted all day with seventy-five or a hunderd men on
Sunday. Well, then, on Monday morning we started out to hunting and
someone--well, fella by the name of Got(?) found them right close
to the house--
Fred •••• Judge(?) Got.
Milt •••• --in a hunderd and fifty yards of the house in under some cedars.
Mitch ••• What killed them?
The Tale of Two Brothers (Cont.)
Reel 6
Item 4
Cont'd.
Milt •••• Well, one of them was dead--the least boy was dead--shot from behind
the ear and it come out his forehead.
Fred •••• Mmmmm, went the other way.
Milt •••• No, he was shot behind the ear and it come out right there. Cause
there was powder burns all over that side of the head, father. The
other boy was laying with his--on his back with two shells in his
mouth. He was shot right 'tween the eyes and the gun was pointed
right at his head where you could see he'd done it hisself. Well,
the dog was lying right close to this dead boy--shot twice right
down on top of the back. No whether that dog had went mad and
they'd tried to kill it and accidentally killed his brother or not,
we'll never know 'cause the boy now is--he's paralysed and can't
hardly talk. He knows he had a brother all right, but--
Fred •••• He's back at home now, though.
Milt •••• He's at home now with the chicken pox.
Fred •••• They took the bullet out of the back of his head.
Milt •••• Yeah, they took the bullet out of the back of his head. And I didn't
no one thought he'd live. They laid him down--they'se excited--they
laid him down and I picked him up and we put him in a truck and went
straight to the hospital with him and no one thought he'd live. But,
this leg is paralysed now. The arm is straightened out and the leg
moved then but it's never moved since. He's never been able to
move it. But, I don't know--he 'll never know what happened. We
just think he was just trying to kill the dog and accidentally killed
his little brother with a little .22.